The Russellville Democrat., 1887-06-01
SHARE CONTRAST.
The Humble Life of Viewers in Oiden
 Times Compared With That of To-Day.

The Humble Life of Weavers in Olden
 Times Compared With That of To-Day.
 It is sometimes well to take look back and see what our forefathers used to do in our own line of business. Be- fore the advent of the narrow loom and fancy cassimeres all goods were woven on the old broad hand-loom, which was an immense institution, and usually owned by the weaver and set up in one of his own chambers. 1t was always accompanied by the old "bobbin wheel and large bowl or tub of water in which to wet the filling; the wheel being used to throw out the surplus water, which left each bobbin of filling equally charged with moisture. The bobbins were stacked up in the window until used, sometimes kept covered with cloth. From fifty to one hun dred bobbins were wet at time. Only one shuttle was used, and that very heavy one, with two large double wheels underneath and two single reed. These wheels used to destroy the reed in time, as the under wheels did the race-board. There was no box motion then. A piece of strong twine was fastened to each picker and brought to the center of the loom and fastened to a handle which the weaver held in his right hand, and with which the shuttle was thrown with great pre- cision while he worked the lay with his left hand and the treadles with his feet The seat was two-lcgged affair fastened to the window-sill, the seat part being at an angle of about forty five degrees. It could hardly be called seat, as the weaver stood up while sitting down, as it were. The yarn was let off from the beam by hand, and the cloth taken up in the same way, the arrangement being very crude indeed, but very effective, made so by the skill of the weaveE. The cloth was usually woven in the loom eleven or thirteen quarters wide, and, as might be expected, it came from the loom very thin, but felt like woolen board when full, in which state it was generally sold by the small manufacturer, the purchaser sending it to the finishing-mill.
 Besides the single looms in the homes of the weaver there were what were termed "shops,'' where large number of looms were run, usually owned by one man, single looms being rented at times As there was no power there was no bell and no steam heat, the shops being warmed by the crudest kind of stoves. When the short days of the year came, and it was time to light up, they usually had what was called ia lighting-up supper" and in the spring 1'blowing-out' supper. Lighting was done with oil in the crudest kind of lamp, which was made by any tinsmith. The amount of smoke made was fearful. The lamps were open, no glass in any form being used. Coal oil had not been discov- cred, and lard oil was not then an ar ticle of commerce. The weavers were generally very happy set of men, full of jest, song, and story, and the origi- nal wit of some of those men has made the fortune of later imitators.
 The weavers were often experts at raising window plants, and many of them could make good showing at any season of the year. Native song birds were often kept, and there was always some kind of petit may be a dog, cat, or some kind of bird-that was allowed the freedom of the cham Der. Money was not very plenty, lux uries were unknown, but a fair share of happiness was secured by the old hand-loom weavers. s.--Fi6er and Fa- by.ics.